Barack Obama says the central front against terror is Afghanistan,
not Iraq, but the transfer won't be quick, easy or cheap. We hear a
rebroadcast of today's To the Point, with a notebook on George
Bush's biggest regret as President. In Part II of our program, LA School Superintendent David Brewer
talks about the effort to kick him out of his job, and there's
controversy over solar power in the desert.

FROM THIS EPISODE

Barack Obama says the central front against terror is Afghanistan, not Iraq, but the transfer won't be quick, easy or cheap. We hear a rebroadcast of today's To the Point, with a notebook on George Bush's biggest regret as President. In Part II of our program, LAUSD Superintendent David Brewer responds
to calls that he step down, and a solar project the size of Inglewood
is planned for the Mojave Desert. Will so-called "clean energy" be good
for the environment?

When Iraq's parliament passed the new status of forces agreement with the US, Prime Minister Maliki called the three-year timetable for withdrawal of American troops "a momentous step" toward restoring Iraqi sovereignty. Barack Obama plans to withdraw from Iraq and build up in Afghanistan, but neither project is going to be quick, easy or cheap, and the strategies that took so long to develop in Iraq's cities and deserts may not apply in Afghanistan's mountains and rural villages. We hear about the planning that's going on for a transition that's easier to talk about than it will be to accomplish. What are the obstacles? How long will it take? In the midst of the worst economic crisis since the Depression, How much will it cost?

In what's called one of his first "exit interviews," President Bush has told Charles Gibson of ABC News that the thing he was least prepared for was the war in Iraq that started after the terror attacks of September 11. He also described his greatest regret. Richard Clarke, who served in the White House under three presidents, including George W. Bush, resigned in 2003 and is now chair of Good Harbor Consulting, a strategic planning and corporate risk-management firm.

Monica Garcia, president of the elected LA Unified School Board, has been frustrated in her efforts to remove Superintendent David Brewer from his current job. Last night on our program, Teachers' union president AJ Duffy repeated a familiar criticism: that the former admiral is well meaning and has a big heart, but that he's not up to the job. Tonight, Superintendent Brewer responds to his critics.

Today's Los Angeles Times reports that no less than 80 big solar projects are underway in California, including arrays of giant mirrors. One planned for the Mojave Desert would be the size of the City of Inglewood. Environmentalists are divided about whether this form of alternative is really "green." Will this so-called "clean energy" be good for the environment?